Fate Manipulation
by jasperthenoble
Summary: When a mysterious boy appears in Konohagakure, no one guesses that he's from another dimension where everyone else's existence is fiction.
1. Alien in Konoha

**A quick note from the author: I wrote this as a means of getting past my writer's block with my other story.**

 **Disclaimer: The only thing I own is a phone. Naruto is not a phone. Therefore, I do not own Naruto. Enough said.**

Chapter 1

 _Alien in Konoha_

Anko absolutely _loved_ dango. Nothing could stop her when she was busy stuffing her face with them.

Anko absolutely _hated_ being interrupted, especially while she was eating dango. So when she was approached by Ibiki, she displayed visible signs of annoyance and frustration.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you on your day off, Anko, but we have captured a new prisoner," said Ibiki. Anko's mouth was completely full, so she wasn't able to respond verbally. Instead, she raised a single eyebrow, asking Ibiki to go on. "I think you'll want to see this. I find it… concerning."

"…Why should I care?" she asked between bites.

Ibiki gave her a knowing glance. "Last time I checked, you still owe me a favor, don't you? Or would you prefer that I tell everyone what I had to do for you last year?"

Anko groaned and swallowed her food. It wasn't a matter of choice, and she knew this. She wasn't done eating her dango, so she decided to take the rest to-go. She stood and followed Ibiki to the prison, where he directed her to a particular cell. The aforementioned prisoner was visible through the one-way window, but something was off.

' _He's just a kid!'_ Anko thought, shock at the sight before her. He had short, black hair and his eyes were closed, preventing them from being seen. He seem to be relaxed, but…

"He seems… excited…" Anko noted. On the prisoner's face was one of the biggest smiles she had ever seen, even bigger than Naruto's smile after receiving the world's biggest bowl of ramen. This was especially strange because of the fact that he probably knew that he had been arrested.

Ibiki said, "He was arrested because he was being a public nuisance, but get this: he's not from Konohagakure." He gave a sigh, and continued. "In fact, he's not from anywhere at all."

Anko's eyes widened. "What are you saying?" she asked, perturbed.

"We checked him and he doesn't have anything that could help determine where he is from. We also sent word to the other villages, and no one recognizes him."

"Did you interrogate him?" the kunoichi asked.

"Of course." Ibiki handed Anko the report of the boy's arrest. "I couldn't get a single word out of him."

Anko looked down at the report and began to read:

 _Prisoner was caught running around the village happily screaming "Oh my god!" repeatedly. He managed to scare nearly everyone around the village, causing many distress calls. Resisted arrest. Minor crimes._

"This doesn't seem so bad. I mean, besides the fact that we don't know where he's from, he should only be let off with a warning, right?"

"Wrong."

Anko frowned. "What do you mean?"

Ibiki cast a side glance at the purple-haired woman. "Go in there and interrogate him, if you want. You'll see what I mean." He handed her a small slip of paper. Anko took the paper and read it. "Those are the questions I asked him. See if you can get him to talk."

"Why should I interrogate him?" Anko inquired. "Isn't that your specialty? Besides, I'm not a member of the Konoha Torture and Interrogation Force."

"I think you and I both know you could become a member with your eyes closed, sadist."

"What was that?" Anko asked, glaring at Ibiki for his comment.

Ibiki in turn grinned and said, "I remember last year when you came up to me and asked me to—"

"Alright, alright! I get it. I'll go in there." She quietly added "bully" to the end of her statement.

"Then consider the debt erased," Ibiki replied, the smug look on his face not faltering in the slightest.

Anko nodded and began walking to the door, but paused before opening it. After a few seconds of reading the question paper again, she nodded to herself and opened the door. She quickly stepped inside, closing the door behind her.

She looked at the boy's face again. No, he wasn't familiar in the slightest. He certainly wasn't from this village.

"Hey," Anko said aloud. The boy didn't move an inch. He didn't even seem to respond. How irritating. "Kid, listen. We know nothing about you, so if you don't come clean about who you are, we are authorized by the Hokage himself to exile you. So start talking."

Anko watched as the boy opened a single eye and gazed at her. His eyes were bizarre, and she didn't know how to describe them, but they were definitely unsettling. After a few seconds, the intent gaze from the boy softened into a wide smile. Suddenly, the boy jumped out of his seat and ambushed her with a giant hug.

"ANKO-CHAN!" he cried as he tackled the kunoichi to the floor. The next thing he knew, his face was against the wall, held in place by Anko's hand.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!" she yelled at him.

"…totally…worth it…" he muttered to himself, earning a glare from the woman.

In the other room, Ibiki was having trouble keeping himself from laughing. He had no idea something like this would happen, but it was, in his eyes, a favor well spent.

"Who are you?" demanded the woman as she released the boy from her deadly grip on his head. Now free, the boy jumped away from Anko and leaned against the wall opposite her, then let out a long sigh.

"I guess I've had enough fun for today. My name is…" the boy hesitated for a moment, then perked up. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki!"

"No it's not," deadpanned the kunoichi.

"Sasuke Uchiha?"

"Not a chance."

"Shino Aburame."

"No. You know a lot of people's names for someone not from around here."

"Oh, I know! My real name is Anko Mitarashi!" That resulted in a huge thump on his head.

"Quit messing around!"

"Oww…" the boy muttered, rubbing the top of his head in pain. "Okay, okay. My name is…" he hesitated yet again. This time, however, he seemed to be thinking deeply about it. Anko gave him a confused look as the boy stared at the ground, wondering. Suddenly, he started counting on his fingers.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Making sure my new name has the right number of syllables."

Anko facepalmed at the young boy's remark. "Why can't you tell me your _real_ name?"

"I don't know if I can pronounce it anymore."

'Seriously?' thought Anko. "You know what? Let's discuss your name later. What I want to know it where you're from."

"Nope."

Anko frowned. "What is it this time?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Unless…" the boy looked at the ground again, his right hand to his chin, simulating deep thought. "Unless… I can prove it to you."

Anko nodded her head slightly. "Okay, let's try that. Tell me exactly where you're from."

* * *

 _One day ago…_

" _OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD…" screamed a boy running past Ichiraku's Ramen Shop. It was midday. Naruto looked up from his bowl of noodles and leaned back, peering outside through the cloths. He watched in confusion as a boy slightly younger than him whizzed by him at full speed. After a second of contemplation, Naruto came to the conclusion that he didn't care, and that he was still hungry. He leaned forward again and continued to eat his ramen._

 _Meanwhile, Shikamaru was leaning against a tree, watching the clouds. He could hear the faint sound of shouting and destruction. He initially shrugged it off as a minor commotion until it began to grow louder. He frowned. 'So loud… so troublesome…'_

 _He glanced to his left to see a boy sprinting toward him at full speed, causing him to groan in annoyance. He decided to stay in place, since he didn't recognize the boy and figured he would simply run past him. He closed his eyes and waited for the noise to pass him._

" _OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD…" the voice grew louder as seconds passed._

 _He wasn't expecting, however, the pain in his side from being struck when the boy finally reached him._

 _He let out a grunt before standing up to confront the boy. He saw that the boy was face down on the ground to his right._

' _Wait… did he actually just trip over me?' thought the Nara. A tick mark appeared on his head as the young boy stood, uttering in pain. The boy had to be maybe ten year old, eleven tops. The boy turned to face Shikamaru, and upon seeing the lazy boy's face, the younger boy's own face lit up in recognition._

" _Sorry, Shikamaru!" he called out before he turned and took off running again. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow._

' _He… recognized me?' The Nara heir decided to dismiss it as an accident, or an illusion, or maybe some kind of genjutsu, anything that would allow him to forget about the whole thing and continue his cloud-watching. He sighed and sat down against the tree, continuing his previous activities._

 _At the same time, Hinata Hyuuga was wandering the village, looking for Naruto. Although she desperately wanted to find him, she didn't want him to see her. 'If he did…'_

 _Hinata looked bashfully at the ground as her face grew a bright shade of red at the thought of being caught spying on her crush. While she was lost in her thoughts, she somehow failed to notice the young, black-haired boy approaching her at an alarming rate. In fact, she never even noticed the boy until he made a sudden stop in front of her. When she saw his feet in front of hers, she looked up at the person who was standing before her._

 _That was when she noticed his eyes. They were strange, to say the least. His irises were hard to describe, since they weren't exactly circular. It looked like he had metal spikes attached to his purple irises. Definitely strange._

 _Then the boy spoke to her. "Is something wrong, Hinata-sama? If you're looking for Naruto-san, I saw him at Ichiraku's." Hinata's face exploded into an even deeper shade of red than before, and she became dizzy. "Gotta go! See you later, Hinata!" cried the boy as he ran away._

' _He… he… he knows…' were the last thoughts of the madly blushing Hyuuga before she fell backward, unconscious._

 _Ten minutes later, the entirety of the Konoha Military Police Force was alerted and on the mysterious boy's tail. The chase lasted for over an hour until the boy finally decided he was done, at which point he happily turned himself over._

" _Victory is yours! I submit!"_

 _The shinobi that were chasing him were thoroughly confused by his behavior. In addition to that, it was rather atypical for a boy his age to say that he "submits." Nevertheless, the boy was intercepted and brought to the Konoha Military Police Headquarters._

* * *

I believed I was dreaming at first, since the last thing I could remember was going to bed and lying awake, patiently awaiting sleep. This theory was quickly disproved when I stood and marveled at the trees around me. They were simply too realistic for this to have been a dream, though the trees themselves seemed bigger than they should have. There weren't any forests like this back home, so… where was I?

I decided to begin walking to see if I could find any hints on my location. The next hour was spent wandering the forest when I came across a path. Both directions seemed to go nowhere in particular, so I decided to head left. After maybe five minutes of walking, something in one of the trees caught my eye. I approached it to find it was a shuriken.

"That's odd…" I muttered to myself, and then I gasped. What happened to my voice? I used to have a deep, manly voice! Now I sounded like a little kid! What the hell was going on?

I looked around the area to see if there were any more shuriken. Instead, I discovered a kunai lodged into the trunk of a nearby tree. I tried to pull it out, but found it wasn't going to budge easily. I sighed, and decided to keep walking.

Then suddenly, in the distance, I could see a tall wall with an open set of gates. Civilization at last! I began to run to the gate at full speed. Within a few minutes, I stood at the gates. Now that I was here, I recognized where I was.

Somehow, I, a big fan of the Naruto series, had managed to get to Konohagakure.

"Oh my god…" I couldn't keep the words from escaping my lips. I actually woke up in the Naruto universe. My eyes widened as a thought dawned on me.

'What part of the timeline am I in now?'

It seemed the only way I could find out was to explore the city!


	2. Not in Kansas Anymore

**Warning, this story contains spoilers (don't they all?), so read at your own risk. Naruto doesn't belong to me. Good thing, too. I probably would have ruined it. (lol)**

* * *

Chapter 2

Not in Kansas Anymore

* * *

 _Well, here I am, in an interrogation chamber._

 _This is all still so bizarre. I'm in Konohagakure, for duck's sake!_

 _But seriously, I used to be sixteen years old. Why am I a kid again? I haven't actually looked at myself in a mirror yet, but judging by the reactions of the people of the village, I was just a troublemaker. Not only that, but my voice is much higher than before. Not that it was a bad thing. Maybe I could ask Anko-chan for a mirror. I wonder if I look like I did when I was a kid._

 _Oh, how I missed pre-puberty._

 _I can't tell her I'm from a different dimension, a different Earth. If I do that, there's no telling what'll happen. I could be questioned further about my world. How was I supposed to explain to Anko-chan that she was a character imagined by a man?_

 _Besides, I don't want to be interrogated anymore. I want to get out of here as soon as possible. I want to go introduce myself to the characters I've grown to love and admire. Telling Anko-chan I know the future will make me a valuable asset and I'll never leave their sight._

 _No, I had to come up with something else. Where could I claim to be from? Another village? No, they probably verified with the other hidden villages that I wasn't from any of them. Maybe a civilian? That might work, actually. It could also explain my fascination with Konoha, the reason I was shouting so ecstatically around the village._

 _But wouldn't they be wondering how a civilian kid could evade their Military Police Force for over an hour? Wait… how did I even do that?_

 _There was no way they would believe that I wasn't trained somehow. Man, this was becoming a challenge. Like Shikamaru would say, troublesome._

 _Okay. I can't tell her I'm from a civilian village, and I can't tell her I'm from a different Earth. Maybe…_

 _The moon? I could claim to be a member of the Ōtsutsuki clan. It might work, but I would need to make sure of something first. I really need a mirror…_

"So? Are you gonna talk?" Anko's voice snapped me back to reality. I looked up at her. She had a small frown on her face.

 _Weird… Back on the other Earth, I had a major crush on Anko-chan (hey, don't judge, I had my reasons), but now… she just seems… old. Why was that? Was it because I was a kid again? Did this mean my taste in women was biological rather than psychological? Am I now a kid with the intelligence of a sixteen-year-old rather than a sixteen-year-old in a kid's body? Interesting…_

"I need a mirror," I admitted.

Anko raised her left eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yup," I quipped, closing my eyes.

"I guess… You can use my forehead protector. It's the best I can do for you right now."

 _That works._ Anko reached behind her head and untied her forehead protector. After she had removed it, she rubbed the surface of it with her coat, then tossed it to me. I caught it and looked at my reflection. As soon as I did, my eyes widened.

"What the…" I muttered. _My eyes…what the hell are they? They do look cool, but still…_

"Problem?"

"N-no…" _Holy shit. I am more handsome than a pile of homemade biscuits, and that's saying a lot! That's more than I can say about my old self… Damn._

The kunoichi leaned on her arm, with her elbow on the table and her palm to the side of her head. "So, are you going to tell me where you're from?"

"Right. I'm from…" Then I pointed up.

"The sky?" she asked.

I shook my head. "Further."

"…The moon?"

I nodded. Suddenly, a thought popped into my head. "Um, Anko-chan?"

"Yes?"

"Can I stay here in Konohagakure? I really want to live here. Like forever."

"You don't want to go home?" Anko showed a concerned expression.

"No, the man who raised me…" I remembered Toneri, who was the only real member of the Ōtsutsuki clan left. "I was banished from the moon."

Anko gave a disappointed sigh.

 _She actually bought my story. Well, whaddaya know._ I mentally gave myself a high five.

"If you want to stay here and become a shinobi—'cause let's face it, you could make it easily, given how you ran from the police for so long—you'll probably have to enter the Academy at the bottom level. Before that, however, we have to talk to the Hokage."

I gave Anko a thumbs up. "Sweet."

Anko began to walk toward the exit. "I'll be back in a few hours, so wait for me, please?" She suddenly stopped. "Seriously, can I get a name? I want to call you by something."

 _Name, name, name. What's in a name? My dog's name is Scrat, my best friend's name is Jay… Name…namenamenamename… Damn, what name can I use?_

 _Okay, the first thing that comes to mind. Pancakes. Shit, that won't do._

 _Try again. Pancakes._

 _Pancakes._

… _What the hell? Why does that keep popping up? Oh, that makes sense. I'm hungry._

 _Let's think about it. I could use the name of another character from a different anime. Ichigo? No… doesn't feel right. What goes well with Ōtsutsuki? Maybe from a game? Oh! Yes, that would work! Ryu Ōtsutsuki!_

"My name is Ryu. Ryu Ōtsutsuki." _That doen't sound half bad. Thank you, Street Fighter!_

"Ryu, huh? Well, it's nice to meet you, Ryu. You already know who I am, so I don't think I have to introduce myself." A sadistic grin suddenly appeared on her face. "When I get back, we're going to have a nice _chat_ about how you know me, how does that sound, _Ryu_?"

I visibly shuddered. _She is so going to torture me. I'm screwed._

I watched as Anko left the room and closed the door. _What am I supposed to do now? If I have to wait here for hours knowing what might happen when I get back, I'll go insane!_

* * *

After closing the door behind her, Anko looked at Ibiki, who was still staring through the one-way window with a frown on his face. His expression alone was enough to give Anko the same look.

"What's with that face?" she asked.

"Something is off. Almost everything he said was a lie."

The woman's eyes widened. "He was lying? He seemed really genuine to me."

"Reading people is my specialty. Most of that was definitely false." Ibiki's expression grew soft. "There was only one thing he said that was true."

Anko rolled her eyes. "Let me guess. It was when he was talking about the moon."

"No."

She raised her eyebrows. "No?"

"It was when he said he wanted to live here forever."

"…hmm…" There was still something that worried Anko. "You said there was an important reason why we shouldn't just let him go. What was it?"

Ibiki sighed. _'If only you actually followed through with your studies…'_ "Anko-sama, you saw his eyes, right?"

"Yeah. They were really strange. I figured it was probably a kekkei genkai."

"Right." Ibiki simply looked at Anko, waiting for her to piece it together.

Anko wasn't going to get very far. "If it's a kekkei genkai, couldn't we trace it to its origin to find out where he's from?"

"Yes. What else?"

"…" Anko simply shrugged.

Ibiki sighed again. "You should probably go back to the library and reread the book about dōjutsu kekkei genkai."

"…Why?"

The leader of the Konoha Torture and Interrogation Force was getting close to banging his head on the wall out of frustration. It was becoming _very_ clear to him as to why Anko wasn't on the team. He managed to calm himself before he accidentally let his emotions be visible.

"That boy's eyes aren't in the book, Anko."

"…"

"No one has ever had those eyes before. No one has ever _seen_ those eyes before." Ibiki paused. "If he really is from the moon, he wouldn't have something like this."

Anko frowned. "Where do you think he's from, Ibiki?"

"…I have no idea. We need to speak with the Hokage. Now." Ibiki walked away, but before he left the room, he turned and spoke. "Anko, please stay here and make sure he doesn't escape."

"…Sure, I guess."

* * *

The students of Iruka-sensei's class were discussing the strange even from yesterday before their sensei arrived to teach them. Many students had mixed reactions to the boy that passed them screaming his head off.

"I'm telling you, that kid knew me somehow…" Shikamaru uttered to his best friend, Chōji, who was munching on potato chips.

"Hmm, that's pretty weird," was his reply after swallowing a mouthful of chips.

"But I don't know him at all. And his eyes…"

"Well," started Chōji, "are you going to do anything about it?"

"No way. Too troublesome."

Meanwhile, Hinata Hyūga was silently watching her classmates in confusion. _'They saw him too?'_ Hinata remembered what the mysterious boy had said yesterday and blushed furiously. _'How did he know I was looking for Naruto-kun?'_

It seemed that everyone in the classroom had seen him yesterday. He had looped around the entirety of the village three times, after all, which was impressive, even for a genin. All while screaming his head off. He was pretty loud, too.

* * *

Hiruzen heard what Ibiki said about the newcomer and frowned. He did not like the sound of someone with a new dōjutsu appearing in the village, especially one of unknown origin. Even more so one with a new dōjutsu that no one had ever seen. However, when Ibiki explained that the newcomer was a nine-year-old boy who wished to become a Konoha ninja, his expression softened significantly, and he let a smile graze his lips.

Then Ibiki gave him a description of the boy's eyes. They were by far the strangest he had ever heard of. He seemed…intrigued by them. Hiruzen made up his mind rather quickly.

"I will permit him to enter the Academy. However, I want someone to keep a close eye on him to obtain any information on his dōjutsu. Understood?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama. I do have one question, though."

"What is it?"

"Where will he be staying? He has no money, or a place to live."

The elderly Hokage gave the question some thought. "You said he knew a lot of people from the village, right?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Then I say you ask who he wants to stay with. He can make a list of them, and I can send someone to ask the people he lists if they are willing to adopt a young boy. Is that understood?"

Ibiki smiled and bowed before the village leader. "Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Good. You are dismissed." Ibiki rose from his bow and turned around, leaving the Hokage's office. He was satisfied with the Hokage's decision. This way he wouldn't have to deal with Ryu.

* * *

 _Noon, Hokage Tower_

Ibiki did not like this.

Ryu's list of people with whom he wanted to live included the names of _children_. But what he found more unsettling was the fact that his first two choices were _orphan children_. Why did Ryu choose he wanted to live with orphans? Ryu's list said:

1\. Naruto Uzumaki

2\. Sasuke Uchiha

3\. Kakashi Hatake

4\. Hinata Hyūga

5\. Iruka Umino

6\. Anko Mitarashi

7\. Shikamaru Nara

8\. Teuchi and Ayame from Ramen Ichiraku

Ibiki chuckled to himself as he read the last entry on the list. _'Maybe the kid likes ramen or something.'_ He quickly returned to the Hokage with the list. As the Hokage read over it, he burst out laughing.

"Well, this is interesting," Hiruzen said after regaining his composure. "Well, Ibiki…if you are busy, I'll ask an Anbu shinobi to speak to the people on this list."

Ibiki nodded. "I'm afraid I have work to do right now, Hokage-sama. A spy from Iwagakure has been captured this afternoon."

The Hokage nodded. "Very well. You are dismissed."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama," replied Ibiki as he bowed. He then stood and left the room. Hiruzen read over the list once more, allowing an amused smile to appear. This really was interesting. _"Ibiki seems to trust him, and Ibiki is never wrong about people. I suppose I have no choice but to perceive him as a non-threat for now.'_ After making a few editions to the list so that the parents of the children on the list would replace their child's name, Hiruzen raised his arm with a fist. Immediately, an Anbu shinobi appeared by his side.

"Yes, Hokage-sama?"

"I need you to approach these individuals and ask them if they are willing to adopt a young boy with a peculiar kekkei genkai."

"Understood, Hokage-sama."

"When you have spoken with all of them, I want you to return to me with a list of the ones who have agreed. Also…" Hiruzen paused for a few seconds. "…For the first two, ask if they are willing to accept a _brother_ rather than adopt a child. I believe they would be more likely to agree to it in that sense. The first person, anyway. You are not allowed to share the information regarding the decisions of the people on the list with anyone, including the people on that very list. Do you understand your mission?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"You are dismissed."

The Anbu ninja instantaneously vanished. Hiruzen smiled inwardly. _'I'd like to meet this Ryu character.'_ He made a hand seal, and in an instant, a shadow clone appeared beside him. The both nodded to each other and the shadow clone walked out of the room.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ryu sat in the interrogation chamber. Thankfully, he was not alone. Anko decided to join him while they waited for Ibiki's return. Ryu had decided to have a little… fun.

"Hey, Anko-chan?"

"Yeah, what?"

"You know Kakashi Hatake, right?"

"…Yeah, why do you ask?"

Ryu smirked and there was a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Do you know what's under his mask?"

The kunoichi scoffed. "Of course not. He never takes that thing off." Ryu began to chuckle to himself. "What?" Anko asked, confused.

"I've seen it."

Anko's eyes grew wide. "WHAT?! HOW? WHAT DID YOU SEE? WHAT IS HE HIDING UNDER THE MASK? YOU HAVE TO TELL ME!"

"Well…" Ryu was enjoying watching Anko squirm. It was so unlike her character to get worked up over something so trivial. Well, it was trivial to him, at least. "Let's see… There are only two things I can say about his face…" Ryu paused, watching Anko's anticipation grow.

"TELL ME OR I'LL KILL YOU!" the woman insisted, bloody murder in her eyes. Ryu chuckled.

"Nah, I think I'll save it for later."

Anko seemed to enter rage mode at Ryu's last comment. The boy, however, simply yawned and put his arms behind his head, just like Shikamaru's signature pose. "Getting angry won't help you find out what he looks like, you know," he teased. This was the most fun thing he had ever done in his entire life. Never did he think he would get the chance to tease a character from his favorite anime. This was a dream come true.

He decided to calm her down. "Seriously though… I don't think Kakashi wants me to reveal his biggest secret, so I won't tell you. For now." Anko's rage slowly transformed into disappointment.

"But," Anko began to say. "Have you actually seen Kakashi's face?"

Ryu nodded.

Suddenly, the door opened. A member of the Anbu squad stood at the entrance.

"Anko Mitarashi."

"Yeah, what's up?"

"You must come with me."

Anko didn't hesitate to follow the ninja out of the room. Since it was Anbu, it was most likely something important. She looked back at Ryu and said, "I'll be back soon, kiddo."

The door closed, and Anko followed the Anbu shinobi further from the door until he stopped and turned. Then he spoke. "Anko Mitarashi, the Hokage has instructed me to ask you a question."

"Alright, what is it?"

"Are you willing to adopt a nine-year-old boy with a peculiar kekkei genkai?" he asked.

Anko looked at the masked ninja, slightly confused. _'Peculiar kekkei genkai…"_ Her gaze wandered until it fixed on Ryu, who could be seen through the one-way window. Then it clicked.

Anko burst out into a fit of laughter, holding her sides together, which felt like they were splitting from her body. She even ended up rolling on the ground. _'That brat chose ME? HAHAHAHAHAH!'_

After a few minutes of laughter, the woman stood and regained her composure. Then, with a single breath, she gave her reply to the question. "No." Anko wasn't about to let the kid have the pleasure of living with her, especially after teasing her with Kakashi's face.

The Anbu shinobi bowed and thanked her before vanishing out of sight. Anko sighed and headed back toward the door leading to the interrogation chamber when a voice stopped her. Particularly the voice of the Third Hokage.

"Anko… I'm here to see Ryu."

* * *

The Anbu shinobi was on his way to meet with the last person—er, people—on the list. Though he was not allowed to question his orders, as was his duty, he was allowed to wonder. Who was this boy, and what kind of kekkei genkai did he possess? Earlier, he noticed Anko looking at the boy in the interrogation chamber and assumed that it was him. However, Ryu was sitting in the corner of the room with his eyes closed, so he never got a chance to see the boy's eyes.

The shinobi finally reached Ramen Ichiraku. He stepped past the cloth at the entrance and noticed the shop was empty except for the shop owner and his daughter, Teuchi and Ayame. He bowed to them.

"How can we help? Are you here for some ramen?" asked Teuchi.

The shinobi shook his head. "I'm afraid not. I have a question from the Hokage himself."

"Oh…" Teuchi's expression became serious. "What is the question?"

"Are you willing to adopt a nine-year-old boy with a peculiar kekkei genkai?" the masked man asked.

Suddenly, Ayame's eyes were lit ablaze. "YES!"

Teuchi simply chuckled to himself. His daughter had always dreamed of having a son. However, Ayame rarely got time off from working at Ramen Ichiraku. During the times she did have off from work, all she was able to do was rest. She was a hard worker, and didn't have time to visit the orphanage. At least now, the offer was brought _to_ her.

"I don't see why not," said Teuchi as he gave the Anbu ninja a bow. The masked ninja returned the bow and thanked him before leaving.

Within a mere thirty seconds, the man had returned to the Hokage's side.

"Hokage-sama, I have completed the task you have commissioned."

"Good," replied Hiruzen. "Please give me the list of those who have agreed." The masked Anbu did just that.

1\. Naruto Uzumaki

2\. Sasuke Uchiha

3\. Hiashi Hyūga

4\. Teuchi and Ayame

Hiruzen's eyes scanned the scroll with amusement as he read the names. Some of them did not surprise him, but one in particular shocked him tremendously. "Sasuke Uchiha actually agreed?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

' _Interesting…'_ thought the Third Hokage. He honestly believed that if anyone would disagree, it would be the last Uchiha. "This is good. Please let Ibiki-san know that I wish to meet with him."

"Understood, Hokage-sama."

"You are dismissed."

The Anbu operative vanished from sight and Hiruzen sighed. _'This job is going to be the death of me.'_

* * *

Ryu stared long and hard at his options before him.

So, he could live with Naruto if he wanted. This would perhaps allow the greatest control over his favorite ship (though he would never admit it openly), NaruHina. Maybe he could make it happen faster.

He could also live with Sasuke, much to his surprise. He knew putting Sasuke on the list of people to move in with was a long shot, but he still wanted to try. Apparently it had worked. He wondered why Sasuke agreed. Maybe Sasuke was told about Ryu's eyes, his 'kekkei genkai'. That alone was reason enough to want him around, he supposed.

He could also move into the Hyūga clan household. Hiashi himself had agreed to it. Ryu wondered if he consulted any family members before his decision. Joining the Hyūgas would allow him to have some kind of sway with diplomatic decisions thanks to his connection to Hiashi, the clan head.

Last but not least, Ayame and Teuchi. Among the benefits of joining their family were free food, frequent interaction with Naruto, and the ability to bring Ayame and Kakashi together. Ryu knew that Kakashi would grow up without a love interest, and that disturbed him greatly, since he knew Kakashi was perverted.

So…

Ryu was at a complete loss. What was he supposed to do? Who should he choose to live with?

He then suddenly realized something.

' _What if I am here for a reason? What if I'm here to keep the characters that died in the original series from dying this time? I don't have all this knowledge for no reason, after all. Maybe I'm supposed to use it to save people.'_

Ryu gave it some thought before circling one of the names on the scroll with a pen. He rolled up the scroll and handed it to Ibiki. The man took the scroll with a smirk.

"Follow me." Ibiki opened the door leading outside, and an excited Ryu followed him outside.

On their way to the Hokage Tower, Ibiki and Ryu passed near the Academy when Ryu noticed something fly out of one of the windows. It glided toward the two and landed at their feet. Ryu bent over to pick it up when he realized what it was. It was Naruto's paper airplane. Naruto had made it when he was asked to write down the name of the person he wanted to spend his last day on Earth with, but couldn't think of anyone. Ryu smirked as an idea formed in his head. He looked up at Ibiki.

"Ibiki-san, can I borrow that pen again?" he asked as he unfolded the paper airplane, revealing an empty piece of paper.

"…Why do you need it?"

"Come on, it'll be really quick, I promise."

"Fine," replied Ibiki as he handed Ryu his pen. The boy beamed at Ibiki before kneeling on the ground and writing on the paper. Ibiki peeked at the writing and recognized the name that Ryu was writing.

"What are you up to?" the man asked.

"Insurance," replied the boy as he folded up the paper back into the shape of the plane. "One more thing, Ibiki-san."

"What is it now?"

"Can you throw this back through that window? I don't trust my aim."

Ibiki was surprised by this. "Throw it back?" Ryu nodded. The man sighed. "Very well. Let's go after this." Ryu handed the plane to Ibiki, who threw the paper airplane back through the window with perfect aim.

Ibiki sighed and continued walking, Ryu right on his tail. _'Why am I doing these things for him?'_ Ibiki looked back at Ryu, who had a big smile on his face. _'He does look like Idate…'_

* * *

"Alright. Now everyone write down a name. For the last day on Earth… who would you want to be with?" Naruto looked around the classroom and saw that most of the students were writing either 'mom' or 'dad'. Naruto didn't have any of those. He looked at the paper of the girl on his right, Sakura Haruno, and saw that she had written 'Sasuke Uchiha-kun'. He looked back at his own paper in frustration. There wasn't anyone whose name he could write on this. Instead, he folded it into a paper airplane and threw it out of the window.

"Hey Naruto!" Iruka scolded him. "Don't throw away your paper!"

Hinata Hyūga watched Naruto's paper fly past her. She then looked at the boy who threw it and smiled. She knew whose name she wanted to write down.

A minute later, as everyone was putting away their papers, Naruto felt something poke his arm. He looked to his left to see the paper airplane he had thrown not long ago. _'Huh?'_

He picked it up and unfolded it, revealing what was inside. _'Hinata Hyūga?'_

Hinata, who watched the paper airplane return to its owner, was now looking at Naruto as he read his paper. Then he looked over at Hinata, who quickly turned her head away, her face a bright red. Naruto had a confused look on his face.

' _Why does my paper have Hinata's name on it? Would I want to spend my last day on Earth… with her?'_ Naruto never noticed it, but from that moment on, he would glance in Hinata's direction more often than he usually did.

* * *

 **Anyone who guesses who Ryu chose to stay with gets a chocolate chip cookie. (::)**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	3. Stray Thoughts

**Disclaimers: Ryo's thoughts and actions do not reflect the views and opinions of the author and are meant to be interpreted as satirical if not comedic. The author also does not know what satire is.**

 **Naruto belongs to someone whose name isn't Noble Jasper. This fan fiction's author's name** _ **is**_ **Noble Jasper. Therefore, he does not own Naruto.**

 **This fan fiction makes references and allusions to** _ **The Last: Naruto the Movie**_ **. If you haven't seen it, the author recommends it, because it is, as he calls it, "KAWAIIIIIIIIIIIIIII" (sic).**

 **[Author's note: I was building a ton of potential story lines to choose from for Ryu deciding to live with Sasuke. Then, in a fit of uncertainty, after taking a step back and looking at all of the beautiful stuff I did, I realized none of it would work, for a number of reasons. Too troublesome to list them. Man, I have a few cookies to take back. Sorry guys. *pulls out long-distance vacuum cleaner***

 **Not to worry! I'll figure it out soon enough. I'm getting an idea of where I might be taking this story. It's going to be so ridiculous you'll want to curl up into a ball and shudder. In the meantime, read this! Enjoy!]**

 **Warning: This chapter, and all subsequent chapters, have spoilers. Read at your own risk.**

Chapter 3

Stray Thoughts

What was going through Ryu's mind when he decided who to live with?

 _Okay. So I got Naruto, Sasuke, the Hyūga main house, and infinite ramen paradise. Who should I stay with? Let's break it down._

 _If I go with Naruto, I'll be able to… I don't even know. What can I do with him? Hmm… I could help him train or something so that he's able to stop Sasuke from leaving Konoha. But if I do that, it could affect the outcome of the Chunin Exams, or worse—Haku and Zabuza. That's right. I have to save them somehow…man, that's gonna be tough._

 _Oh, that's right! I could try to point out Hinata's feelings to Naruto. Maybe then, his dense head will finally—oh, I'm getting shivers just thinking about it! It still makes me upset how oblivious Naruto is to Hinata's feelings in pre-time skip! I'm so going to change that! Believe it!_

 _Whoops, some of my inner fanboy leaked out. I gotta keep that in check._

 _If I go with the Hyūga family, I can help Hinata become more confident so she can finally confess! Pretty much the same effect as making Naruto more perceptive, and that effect would be the most kawaii couple in Konoha. What else can I do?_

 _Since the Hyūga clan is pretty influential, I might be able to use that to my advantage. But how do I do that? I'd have to use Hiashi-san, right? God, not_ use _. I didn't mean it that way. I don't want to just use people._

 _How can I "use" Hiashi if I'm only 9 years old? Man, I'm starting to miss my original age again. I doubt he'd listen to me about stuff regarding the future unless I explain my situation to him. Even then, I doubt he'd believe me. No, he'd probably disown me if I went to him with that baloney, albeit truthful, story._

 _So no clan influence there. Damn. Well, what else can I do with the Hyū—wait, that's right. Byakugan, Dōjutsu… I bet Hiashi-san agreed because he's interested in my eyes. Maybe he wants to study them. Or better yet, establish the Byakugan as superior to even a new(?) dōjutsu. I swear, if that's his reason…_

 _I'm getting off track._

 _I still can't believe Sasuke agreed. Probably because of my eyes too, no doubt. I mean, I don't think he has anything to gain from adopting me personally._

 _Oh god, Anko-chan is looking at me with that expression again. I'm taking too long. I've gotta come up with my decision quick!_

 _So, if I choose Sasuke, I can convince him to stay in Konoha._

… _Yeah right! How the duck am I supposed to do that?! Oh! I could warn him of Orochimaru and the Cursed Seal of Heaven! Yeah! That could work! I am a genius! A mastermind!_

Suddenly, a stray thought crossed Ryu's path. _The more I change the story, the less I know about it._

 _Well…shit. That probably means I should alter the bare minimum so that I still can predict the future, more or less. But I still want to save lives. Jiraiya, Neji, Haku, Zabuza…hell, even Itachi. No, especially Itachi. I think he deserves better than what he got. To do that, I'll have to somehow convince Sasuke to stop his pursuit after his brother._

 _That's not going to happen. Hellz nah. Besides, even if I am successful, all that will do is make Sasuke less motivated to become strong, which… who knows what that'll do? It might even cause more deaths than canon dictates!_

 _My last choice is Teuchi and Ayame. I don't know how I feel about staying with them. First of all, they'll probably make me work for them at the shop. Then again, I do get free ramen. Not to mention the fact that I get to see Naruto often. I swear, Ramen Ichiraku should be Naruto's second home._

 _Come to think of it, how come Ayame and Teuchi haven't adopted Naruto? I guess that's a question I'll have to save for later, if I ever meet Kishimoto in person. Like that would ever happen. Or I could ask them myself._

 _So… of these four choices, which one should I pick? If I choose Naruto, I won't be able to do much, and I don't know how it will affect the story if he gets a little brother (being younger than Naruto feels so weird, I swear to god). Consequences could be devastating. I don't think I'll do that._

 _If I choose Sasuke, the only thing I can do for him is warn him of Orochimaru. I don't know how much that will help him in the Chunin Exams. Orochimaru could easily overpower Sasuke whether or not he's been warned. Maybe he can come up with a strategy to avoid him._

 _Bunking with the Hyūga clan has some serious NaruHina benefits. I also don't think there are any downsides except for maybe having to train a whole lot. And sparring. I don't think I have any abilities as a ninja, at least not yet, and I have no idea how to work my eyes, let alone what they do. Not looking forward to that._

 _Ayame and Teuchi. The only downside to going with them is having to work. I've never made legit ramen before, so I'm probably going to end up serving customers. Or not. Maybe I won't even have to work at all. Not only that, but I get free ramen. I like ramen. Not as much as Naruto, that's ducking impossible, but still… And, since Naruto swings by on nearly a daily basis, I can befriend him and give him suggestions toward Hinata. Score._

 _I think the choice is clear. I'm gettin' ramen, baby!_

Ryu proceeded to draw a circle around Ayame's and Teuchi's names.

 _Pulling strings from afar is safer than getting involved directly. I have to be careful and not screw this up for everyone._

* * *

(o,o)

* * *

Hinata's curiosity was driving her mad. All she knew was that after Naruto threw his paper out the window, it came back, and that when he read it, he looked directly at _her_. That simple thought was enough to make her face go red.

' _Naruto-kun… looked at me…'_

Hinata didn't always have a crush on Naruto. When they first met, she looked at him with admiration for standing up for her, even though he was totally beat up in the process. She was fascinated by his resolve to stand up for his friends (which he didn't have many, if any at all), by his resolve to become Hokage no matter what, and by his ability to smile even when the village treated him like a demon. Whenever Naruto was around, Hinata felt determined to be as strong as Naruto. Simply put, she thought Naruto was amazing.

But before she knew it, she was not only looking at him in admiration, but in _adoration_ as well. She began to blush whenever he was nearby, and she began to see him differently. Not only did she want to be like him, but she also wanted to be around him, beside him, _with_ him.

And then, she began to follow him. She knew she didn't have enough courage to talk to him, so tailing him was the best she could do for herself.

Hinata sighed as she recalled the evolution of her crush. She couldn't help it: she liked Naruto a lot.

She glanced over in Naruto's direction and noticed he was falling asleep in the middle of a lecture. _'Oh, Naruto-kun…'_

That was when she noticed the paper on his desk, folded up into a plane. Her curiosity would be satisfied if only she could read what it said…

Determined to find out what was written on Naruto's paper, she secretly activated her Byakugan, making sure no one was watching her. Even then, the way the paper was folded made the writing on it hard to read. This wouldn't do. Hinata would have to get her hands on the actual paper if she were to read what it said.

By that point, Naruto was completely unconscious. That meant that Naruto himself wouldn't notice her reading the paper. All that was left was… the rest of the class. She couldn't let anyone see her reading Naruto's paper, or they would find out that she liked him! How embarrassing!

After a few seconds of thinking, she came up with a plan. She would have to be extremely covert, and she wasn't very confident in her ability to be sneaky. Nevertheless, Hinata knew that this could be the only chance she got to find out why Naruto looked at her after reading the paper.

She knew that the writing was probably not Naruto's, since she never saw him write anything on the paper. She could only imagine what the paper could've said. _'Who was your first friend? Who do you want to grow old with? Who is your greatest love?'_ Hinata blushed furiously at these thoughts, but managed to shake them off. _'I have to focus, or I might mess up!'_

After recovering her nerves, Hinata finally gained the courage to enact the plan. She manage to raise her hand just high enough to get Iruka-sensei's attention.

"Yes, Hinata?" he asked politely.

"I n-need to use the b-bathroom," she barely managed to say. Everyone's eyes were on her, which made it a lot worse.

Iruka was aware of Hinata's shyness, and he knew that she didn't want to be embarrassed by having everyone watch her as she left the room for the bathroom. So, he decided to make is a little easier for her.

"You can go, Hinata. Now, everyone, I want you to pay close attention to what I'm about to say…" Just as he suspected, everyone's attention was focused back on him. Iruka watched as Hinata quickly left the room, but failed to notice her quickly snatch something from Naruto's desk as she passed him.

As soon a Hinata made it out of the classroom, she stopped and put her back to the wall, panting. She _did_ it. She actually did something daring! Just as she was beginning to relish over the fact that her shyness was starting to go away, she remembered why she was where she was. She looked down at the paper and unfolded it to reveal…

Her name.

Hinata's immediate reaction was to blush. _'My name is on Naruto-kun's paper! My name is on Naruto-kun's paper!'_ This was quickly ended when she realized something. _'But… Naruto didn't write this. It's not his handwriting…'_ Which meant that whoever threw the paper back to Naruto wrote her name in the paper. Which meant…

Someone else knew about her crush. Surely, that had to be it! There was no way that her name on Naruto's paper was a coincidence! Someone had to know that she liked him. But why? Why did this person write her name and throw it back? How did he even know it was Naruto's paper? Was this person… maybe…

Was this person trying to get Naruto to notice her feelings for him?

' _No, he can't find out! That would be too embarrassing! What if he doesn't feel the same way?'_

Hinata blushed at the hypothetical situation that Naruto actually returned her feelings. Then she frowned. _'As if. Naruto likes Sakura.'_

Hinata decided that she would have to find the person who wrote her name on Naruto's paper and politely ask him or her to stop. She folded the paper back up as best as she could, walked back into the classroom, secretly put the paper back next to a sleeping Naruto, and silently sat down, cautiously throwing quick glances toward the boy she liked.

* * *

(o,o)

* * *

Hanabi Hyūga sat in her room, thinking about what happened just minutes ago. She was shocked at what she had found out.

After coming home, as she was passing her father's office, she had overheard the word _adoption_ being spoken. Of course, Hanabi was well disciplined, but that word piqued her curiosity regardless. She ended up eavesdropping on a conversation between her father and a member of the Anbu. As soon as the conversation ended, Hanabi had rushed to her room to ponder the discussion she had just heard.

' _An older brother… that won't do. All that will accomplish is increasing the tension between the main and branch houses. I know that he said he has a peculiar kekkei genkai, but still! The last thing we need is a non-Hyūga living in the main house while a purebred Hyūga like Neji is forced to live in the branch.'_

What Hanabi was really thinking was that if they adopted a boy, she was going to have a harder time becoming the clan head in the future. Hanabi was already confident that she would surpass her sister, so she wasn't worried about her. Hinata was too gentle and meek for her own good. However, even if Hanabi was stronger than the boy, she was pretty sure the elders would vote in his favor, solely because of his gender and the fact that he is also older than Hanabi.

' _Surely they wouldn't appoint a non-Hyūga to clan head right?'_

A stray thought crossed her mind. _'If his kekkei genkai is somehow compatible with the Byakugan, he probably could become clan head.'_

That made Hanabi mad.

She quickly changed into her training attire and walked outside. After approaching a nearby member of the branch house and requesting a sparring session (to which he reluctantly agreed, given that he didn't really have a choice), Hanabi proceeded to release her anger on the poor man.

' _What were you thinking, Father? You just can't adopt him!'_

* * *

(o,o)

* * *

Ryu was brought to Ramen Ichiraku by an Anbu shinobi (which he thought was pointless, since he already knew how to get there) where he was introduced to his new foster mother and grandfather. The shop had closed up about an hour ago, but the ramen-makers were informed that they would meet Ryu at the restaurant.

Ryu was not expecting the reaction he got. As soon as he arrived at the shop, his escort said his farewells and vanished before Ryu could even blink. Ryun looked at the two and approached them.

"Hi, I'm Ryu—" he said before he saw Ayame's eyes widen.

"Oh my goodness, he's so ADORABLE!" Ayame cried out as she picked up and _crushed_ her new adopted son. The lack of air entering his lungs made his face instantly match the color of his eyes.

Teuchi chuckled. He hadn't seen his daughter this genuinely happy in a very long time. Too long, in his opinion.

Ryu couldn't feel his lungs at all, but seeing Ayame so happy to see him despite never meeting made him smile anyway. The pain was nullified by Ayame's happiness.

' _Wow,'_ thought Ryu. _'I had no idea Ayame would react this way. Goes to show how much Kishimoto left out of his work. Damn, she has a crushing grip.'_ Ryu could feel his consciousness ebbing away, so he started to tap Ayame's shoulder.

"Oops!" she cried out, and released the boy from his imminent death by suffocation. He fell to the ground, gasping for breath. "Are you okay? I'm so sorry!" Ayame exclaimed.

Ryu stood up after catching his breath and beamed, shoving a thumbs up in her direction.

"Never been better!" he said, coughing afterward.

Ayame giggled. "Come on, let's go home!"

"Home?" asked Ryu.

"Well, of course! Did you think we lived at the restaurant or something?"

"N-no, no! Of course not!" _'I totally thought that! Oh god, I'm such an idiot!'_

"Alright, let's go." Ayame, in her excitement, took the lead, while Ryu followed right behind her, and Teuchi after Ryu. The new family walked for about ten minutes before reaching a medium-sized, two-story house, where Ayame finally said aloud, "Welcome to your new home!"

' _She's way too enthusiastic about this… but then again, she just adopted a son, so I shouldn't be complaining.'_ Ryu sighed and smiled at his new mom, who smiled back. She opened the door and led everyone inside.

"Let me show you to your room. Follow me!" She quickly turned and began to walk past the counter and into the kitchen. Ryu followed her with a confused expression.

"Am I… living in the kitchen?"

"No, silly! We're going upstairs!" Ayame turned left at the back of the kitchen and marched up a flight of stairs. As Ryu rounded the corner, he saw the stairs leading to the second floor, he raised an eyebrow.

' _So that's where the stairs are… that's cool.'_

Within a few seconds, Ryu was standing in his very own room. "Wow! I already have my own room?" Everything was organized in the

"That's right, Ryu!"

"That was quick!"

"Yeah…"

"Don't you think it's a bit _too_ quick, though? I mean, you found out about me just a few hours ago, right?"

Ayame turned away from the boy with a blush painted on her face. "Well…"

Chuckling to himself, Ryu gave her a genuine, heartwarming smile. "Nah, I'm kidding. I love it." He walked over to his new mother and threw his arms around her. "Thanks."

The woman couldn't help but smile at Ryu's gesture. "Of course… Ryu."

Teuchi poked his head into the room. "Ayame took time off of work just to set up the room for you. She spent nearly four hours fixing it up."

Ayame's blush deepened. "D-dad!"

* * *

(o,o)

* * *

Shikamaru had managed to successfully ignore his encounter with Ryu. However, the boy was far from forgotten. He was simply stored temporarily in a part of Shikamaru's mind where he would not occupy the ninja-in-training's thoughts.

' _I guess I'll have to get to the bottom of this eventually. But not today.'_ Shikamaru was walking home with his best friend, Chōji walking beside him, who was tossing handfuls of chips into his mouth. Shikamaru closed his eyes and sighed. _'Now I get to go home, sit outside, and watch some clouds. At least there's that.'_

The Nara's thoughts drifted back to today's lesson, particularly the one at the end of the day. Shikamaru thought it was too troublesome to have to think of someone he would want to spend his last day on Earth with. Sure, there was Chōji, but spending his last day with him probably meant following him around to every restaurant in the village and watching the Akamichi boy eat everything in a hurry to enjoy life's greatest pleasures of food before his demise. What a drag.

If the moon was falling, he would rather sit under a tree alone and watch it fall as it pushed aside the clouds in its path to the Earth's inevitable doom. It seemed more peaceful than last-minute binging.

From what Shikamaru was thinking, there really wasn't really a person who he wanted to spend the last day with. Of course, there was the generic "Mom and Dad" that he used in order to satisfy his teacher, but he didn't really feel like spending that day with his parents was the best idea. Well, maybe his Dad, since they were just about equal in laziness, but his Mom? Hell no. The constant nagging from her would drive him crazy.

There was no one he actually _wanted_ to spend his last day with. In fact, he felt if anyone was there with him at all, it would bother him.

"Hey, Shikamaru?" Chōji said aloud, interrupting the Nara's train of thought.

"Yeah?"

"We just passed your house." Shikamaru turned around to see that Chōji was right.

"Thanks for letting me know, Chōji." The lazy boy waved to his friend goodbye and walked home. Upon entering, he called out, "I'm home! I'll be outside!" He then walked all the way to the forest on the other side of the Nara estate where he found a tree and lied beneath its branches. He then proceeded to watch the clouds drift across the orange evening sky.

* * *

(o,o)

* * *

Naruto visited Ichiraku Ramen every day of the following week, and he found out that Ayame herself had adopted a son. The boy was younger than Naruto by a few years, and he wore dark sunglasses like that Shino kid from his class. He was serving ramen to the customers, just like Ayame. It was when the boy was walking away from Naruto that he finally recognized him. Shocked, Naruto quickly jumped up from his stool and pointed a finger at Ryu.

"You!" he said. Ryu turned to look at Naruto.

"Yeah?"

"You're the kid that was running around the village screaming!" Naruto shouted.

Ryu replied by striking a pose. "Hellz yeah!"

"Hey, Ayame!" Naruto called out. "What's the deal with this kid?"

Ayame looked up from the sink where she was working after hearing her name. "Oh, hello, Naruto! I didn't notice you there. So, I see you met my new son, Ryu!" Ayame almost squealed with the last statement. Saying that she had a son made her extremely happy, even more so than seeing Naruto's face when a new ramen recipe is announced.

"WHAT!? A SON!?" shouted Naruto. "What's up with that?"

"I adopted him, of course." Ayame was beaming.

"…oh. Alright, cool!" Naruto smiled back at Ayame, then faced Ryu. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and I'm gonna be the next Hokage, believe it!"

"Nope," Ryu deadpanned.

Naruto was shocked by his reply. "Eh? What do you mean, 'nope'?"

"I don't think you'll be the Fifth Hokage. You'll be the Sixth, at least." Of course, Ryu was fully aware that Naruto was actually destined to be the Seventh Hokage, but he didn't think telling him that would help the blonde.

"Why's that, huh? Don't think I can become strong enough fast enough to become the next Hokage, huh?"

Ryu sighed and began to walk behind the counter. "Not really. You'd probably have to be ready for the position in a year or so." Then, in a desperate attempt to not sound too suspicious, he added to the end, "I'm guessing, is all."

Naruto might not have been the smartest ninja in the village, but even he knew that becoming a Hokage didn't take just a few years of training. Luckily for Ryu, the soon-to-be ninja didn't catch onto the allusion of the Third's imminent death.

"I guess you're right. Anyway, I'll be Hokage someday, and no one can stop me!"

Ayame, who had just returned from the kitchen, giggled at Naruto's words. It wasn't the first time she had heard the blonde say those very same words. On multiple occasions, even just at Ramen Ichiraku, Naruto had claimed to be the future Hokage in spite of comments from skeptical villagers.

"Naruto, when you become Hokage, make sure you don't stop coming here every day. Without you, we might just run out of business, heh heh…" Ayame said, scratching her head.

"Are you kidding? How could I ever stop coming here? This is my second favorite place in the world!"

Ryu smiled. He knew what Naruto's first favorite place was. After all, Naruto's face would be on it in a couple of decades.

* * *

(o,o)

* * *

Within a week, Ryu's room had begun to look like that of a secret agent preparing for a spy mission. His walls were lined with drawings and diagrams with scribbles of writing sprawled randomly across the wall plaster.

This was the room of a boy who was determined to save the world.

Unfortunately, he was uncertain of how he was going to do it.

Ryu sat on the floor in the middle of his room, staring out of the window at the night sky.

Tomorrow was his first day in the ninja Academy, and he was feeling a number of emotions. There was a giddy happiness that came from his excitement from becoming a ninja, and the fact that he might finally learn how to use his eyes. He had spent the past six days trying to activate them somehow, and he was unable to get a single effect.

He was feeling a bit nervous, which was caused by the fact that he was probably going to be the only person in his class who doesn't know how to use chakra. He was entering the Academy more than half a year after the other students, and he knew what it was like to be a new student. In his previous life (which he could still remember easily), he had moved around a lot because of his parents being in the military. Being a new student was not a new experience to him, but that didn't make it any less nerve racking.

There was some sadness in him when he found out that he would be entering the Academy at the primary level. It meant that he wouldn't be seeing much of anyone he knew at school. Well, there was a chance he might recognize the faces of some students, but he didn't think he know anyone from the anime or manga.

He looked at the chaos and disorder of his room with a mental sigh. There was so much he could do, and yet, doing it would prevent him from doing other things. If he prevented Sasuke from leaving, Sai would never become a member of Naruto's team. If he prevented Sunagakure from allying with Orochimaru and Otogakure, Gaara might never become Kazekage. Hell, he might end up the same as he began: bloodthirsty and ruthless.

Ryu had no idea what to do. Just thinking about it was hurting his head. He had been thinking about it for a week now, and he needed a break. He stood from the center of the room and left, making sure to close the door behind him. Until Ryu figured out how he intended on saving everyone, he would leave all of his stuff up so he could focus on developing a plan. At the same time, he didn't want Teuchi—or worse, Ayame—walking into his room and seeing all of this stuff about the future and assassination plots and plans to take over the world to be spread across his room.

So, not only did he close his door, he made sure it was locked. He walked toward the stairs before making a quick stop in the bathroom. He looked at himself in the mirror, staring intently into his eyes. Man, he was curious about these eyes. What did they do? How could he activate them? If Ryu were anyone else, he would be trying to direct his chakra into his eyes to activate them. But that was the problem: he didn't know how.

' _I guess it's a good thing I'm going into my first year rather than skipping them to be with the future Rookie Nine.'_ Ryu chuckled to himself before lifting his hand up to his face, pushing aside the bangs that covered his forehead, revealing two red dots the size of his finger nails, above his eyebrows. Upon seeing them, he smiled.

The memory of painting the dots on his own face the day after moving in with Ayame and Teuchi weren't vague in the slightest.

 **Dramatic flashback…**

" _Umm, Ayame-chan?"_

" _You know, you can call me Mom."_

" _Nah."_ **[Author's note: Get REKT!]**

" _Aw," said Ayame, pouting._

" _So, Ayame-chan."_

" _Yes, Ryu?"_

" _Do you have any make-up?"_

 _Ayame's eyes widened. "W-why do you ask?"_

 _Ryu came up with a lie very quickly. "Well, you see… I never see you with any make-up on, so I figured it was because you didn't have any."_

 _Ayame smiled. "Hmm… I do have some, but it's only for spe—"_

" _Where is it?"_

" _Hmm… I think I left it under the sink in the upstairs bathroom. Why do you ask?"_

" _No reason." Ryu began to walk away, but stopped, turning to face Ayame. "For the record, I don't think you need it. You're really pretty without it. I'm surprised Kakashi-sensei—I mean Kakashi-san—hasn't fallen for you already."_

 _Ayame blushed. "W-w-what are you saying?"_

 _Ryu smirked and continued to walk toward the stairs leading up. "Oh, nothing." Man, he did enjoy teasing his favorite characters._

 _Upon reaching the bathroom, the boy quickly closed the door and looked under the sink, finding what he was looking for. He began sorting through all of the cosmetics, awed by the fact that Ayame would ever need this much makeup for… well, anything. Finally, he picked out something that he thought would work: red lipstick._

 _Perfect._

He knew that if he was going to trick people into thinking he was from the moon, he would have to have some kind of trait unique to the Ōtsutsuki clan, and the forehead spots made it pretty obvious. Technically, his bangs were thick enough to cover his forehead pretty well, well enough to not see the spots that weren't actually there. He painted them on just as insurance, to make sure that if someone happened to see his forehead, they wouldn't see a blank, normal one.

The red lipstick worked almost perfectly, with the only flaw being that he couldn't rub his forehead without removing the spots on his face. After graduating from the Academy, he wouldn't need to do this anymore. He figured he would use the forehead protector at all times. It was much easier to maintain, and a lot harder to remove from his face when tied tightly.

He sighed and looked back at his eyes. Then he noticed something was off. The spikes in his eyes were moving, swaying side to side around his iris. Ryu frowned. _'What the hell is going on?'_

Suddenly, the spikes stopped moving altogether, as if they weren't moving to begin with. Ryu blinked a few times, wondering what he just saw.

' _They were moving. No doubt about it. What does that mean? Is that all they do? Man, that's disappointing.'_

Sighing again, he left the bathroom and headed downstairs, hearing Ayame's breaths as her chest rose and fell in the deep sleep. Ryu left the house, deciding to go pay a visit to the Hokage monument. He figured that if he went there, he would be able to relax more. It seemed to work well with Naruto, so why not him?

After a half-hour of walking, the Hokage monument stood before him in all of its majestic glory. It was a lot bigger up close than Ryu gave it credit for. It always seemed big in the anime, sure, but not _this_ big.

"This is pretty cool," he muttered to himself. Looking at the faces of the previous leaders suddenly gave him an idea. _'What if… instead of defiling the Hokage monument, Naruto just gave them color? I can see it now, the Hokage monument in living color. Yeah, that would look cool. I don't think I can convince Naruto of that, though. He had a reason for doing it his way. I'll try to think of something. It won't be happening in a few months, but I'm looking forward to it.'_

Ryu decided against climbing to the top of the monument, settling instead on sitting at the base of the structure. He just felt like he wasn't good enough to stand above the Hokage. Not only that, but he happened to have a mild—very mild—case of acrophobia. He didn't know about it until he turned twelve, when he rode in a plane for the first time. The whole trip was discomforting, and he refused to look out of the window.

His fear of heights wasn't enough for him to be deathly afraid of flying, but it was enough to make him choose the alternative when given the option. He simply felt more relaxed on the ground, where he knew his cause of death wouldn't be due to gravity.

With that said, living on the second floor didn't bother him at all. He knew he was connected to the ground, and the odds of him falling the short distance of ten feet from the second floor were too slim to make a big fuss.

After relaxing at the foot of the Hokage monument for an hour, Ryu went home and lay in his bed. He enjoyed his break, and now that he had returned, he knew he had to go to sleep. He was going to have a long day tomorrow.

* * *

(o,o)

* * *

 **P.S. I don't know if Hanabi and Hinata call their father "Father" or "Hiashi-sama" like the rest of the clan does. If I'm wrong, let me know so I can change it. Thanks. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Next chapter won't come soon. Maybe in a week or two. Maybe not.**

 **Have a happy Thanksgiving, everyone.**


	4. Gluttony

**Inspired by NCA. Thanks for the insight. This is for you.**

" **Let them have cake."**

 **No Ryu here. Enjoy.**

Chapter 4(ish)

Gluttony

After the announcement that school was finishing early due to an incident, Naruto's first thought was to go to Ramen Ichiraku. He was going there after school anyway, so the early release simply meant early afternoon snack.

However, on his way over, he heard a commotion nearby. Ramen Ichiraku was only a few minutes away, but Naruto figured he could afford to make a stop. He followed the sound of the snickers and chuckles of voices he thought sounded vaguely familiar. Eventually, he came across the source of the noise.

Three boys that were slightly older than him had cornered a person against a wall. Naruto quickly realized what was going on. These guys were bullies. Naruto _hated_ bullies.

"Hey!" Naruto shouted. The boys turned to face him. They looked familiar to Naruto, but he couldn't quite put a finger on where he knew them from. One of them, after seeing Naruto's face, smirked.

"Guys, is this déjà vu or what?" The others snickered at his remark. "Look who came back! I bet he's here to get another round of ass-kicking." He cracked his knuckles and started to approach the short blonde.

Naruto was confused. _'What's he talking about?'_

As the older boy approached him, Naruto could see the person they were bullying.

"Hinata?" he said aloud. The girl looked up from the ground, hearing Naruto's voice call her name. Upon seeing her face, Naruto's memory was jogged, and he instantly remembered his first encounter with them.

A few years ago, Naruto found them in the woods bullying Hinata because of her eyes. Naruto, being the kind of person he was, immediately went to defend Hinata. He tried to conjure up a few clones, but only got tiny chibi-Narutos instead. The bullies proceeded to beat the crap out of Naruto, trampling his red scarf in the process, and finally departed, leaving behind a battered and bruised Naruto and a concerned Hinata.

"Wait, I know you!" Naruto cried out, pointing at the advancing boy. "I'm going to finish what I started, and take you down a notch! Believe it!"

The blonde's outburst caused the bullies to laugh. The two that were still cornering Hinata had shifted their attention toward Naruto. The bully closest to Naruto stopped a few feet away from him.

"Take me down? With what, your pathetic excuses for clones? I'd like to see you try."

Hinata's faced showed pure concern for Naruto's wellbeing. The last time Naruto faced them, he was outnumbered and overpowered, and received a tremendous beating. Hinata did not want to see that happen again. Seeing Naruto defend her from these bullies a second time inspired courage inside her, and she stood up to face the bullies still cornering her.

"I don't even need those clones to take you down! I'm a ninja!" Naruto exclaimed, putting up a hand sign. A puff of smoke exploded, and as the smoke cleared, Iruka stood in Naruto's place.

"You guys are causing trouble for my students, so you better scram before I take care of you myself," he declared while cracking his knuckles.

The boys' eyes widened at Iruka's appearance. "Oh shit, it's a chunin! Run for it!" the one closest to Naruto cried out, running away from the man. The other two followed suit, tripping as they tried to escape. After the boys finally left, Iruka laughed aloud. Another puff of smoke, and Naruto was back.

"Wow! I can't believe they fell for a simple transformation jutsu!" Naruto laughed loudly, causing Hinata to smile. Naruto extended his hand toward her. "Hey, let's get some ramen."

Hinata blushed when she realized what Naruto was doing. _'He want to hold my hand!?'_ Her blush deepened and she nodded, taking his hand. Naruto began to walk in the direction of Ramen Ichiraku.

' _Naruto-kun is holding my hand! Naruto-kun is holding my hand!'_ The Hyūga was doing her best not to faint from embarrassment and excitement. She finally mustered up the will to say the words she had meant to say minutes ago.

"U-um…N-Naruto-kun?"

"What's up, Hinata?"

"…Th-thank you."

The blonde sheepishly scratched the back of his head with the hand not holding Hinata's, a slight blush forming on his cheeks. "Eh, it was nothing." Naruto thought about the incident. "Weren't those guys the same ones from before? The ones that messed up my scarf, right? I can barely remember."

Hinata knew very well who they were. The memory of that day would never fade from her mind. It was, after all, the day she met Naruto for the first time. Remembering Naruto's bruised and beaten face made her sad. She looked down at the ground, feeling guilty. _'He got hurt trying to defend me…'_

Naruto glanced back and saw Hinata's melancholic expression and frowned. _'Don't be sad, Hinata. I don't ever want you to be sad.'_ An idea came to him. He looked ahead again.

"Hinata."

"Y-yes?"

"If you ever need anything—anything at all—come to me, alright? I'll do whatever it takes to see you smile, got it?"

The blush on Hinata's face was replaced with a completely red face of embarrassment. She could feel herself losing consciousness, but managed to hang on for Naruto's sake.

Naruto glanced back again to see that his words did not have the desired effect. Instead of seeing a smiling Hinata, he saw a Hinata with a flushed face, causing him to quickly panic.

"Hinata, are you okay? Your face is red, are you sick or something?" To further show his concern for her, Naruto put his forehead against Hinata's in an effort to check her body temperature, unaware that he was the cause of her symptoms.

Unfortunately, his actions ended Hinata's consciousness. Her body crumpled as she went limp, and Naruto was only barely able to catch her.

' _Aw man! We were so close to Ramen Ichiraku too!'_ Naruto was lost at what he should do. He could bring her home and explain to her family what happened to her, but man, he was hungry! That transformation jutsu really drained him of his energy, and he was in desperate need of some ramen! He didn't think he could carry her all the way back to her home.

At least, that was his excuse. Naruto was full of energy, and he was fully capable of bringing her home.

Deciding to bring her to the Ramen shop, Naruto picked up the unconscious Hyūga and carried her bridal style (he didn't know how else he should carry her), walking the last minute to his second favorite place in the world. This earned him a number of nasty looks from the villagers, but Naruto paid them no mind. He was determined to get Hinata to the shop.

As he approached the small shack, Ayame, who was sitting behind the counter, bored at the lack of customers that day, saw Naruto walking toward her with a girl in his arms. She quickly ran around the counter and helped bring Hinata to the back room, where she set up a futon to lay Hinata on.

"Naruto, what happened to her?" Ayame asked, worried.

"I don't really know, I just told her something, then her face went red, so I thought she might be getting sick, so I put my forehead up to hers to see if she was hot, and she just… fainted." Naruto frowned at the situation. "It doesn't make any sense to me.

Ayame facepalmed upon hearing Naruto's words. _'There isn't a single person as naïve or oblivious as Naruto!'_ She sighed. "You really don't know what happened to her?"

"Nope. Hey, can I get some ramen?"

"Naruto! How can you be thinking of food in a situation like this? You have an unconscious girl in your hands! Handle the situation!"

"But—" Naruto's voice was interrupted by his stomach growling, yearning for food. "I'm really hungry…" he whined.

"Ughhhhh, fine. But you're eating here. You have to watch over this girl, alright?"

Naruto nodded. "Got it! I'll take twenty bowls of miso ramen!" he exclaimed, causing Ayame to chuckle to herself.

' _Classic Naruto.'_ She stood up and extended her hand, a smile on her face. "That'll be sixteen hundred ryō."

"WHAT!? No discounts?"

"Sorry, Naruto," she replied, her grin never faltering. "We haven't had many customers today, plus we're letting use the back room. I think that's more than enough reason to charge full price."

"Okay…" Naruto muttered defeated. He mumbled something along the lines of "should've just taken her home…" The blonde reached into one of his pockets and pulled out Gama-chan, his trusty wallet. Ayame noted that it was bulging with money.

' _I bet he's probably rich! Look at all that money!'_

"Here," Naruto said, handing the wallet to Ayame. "Count for me while I keep an eye on Hinata."

' _Hinata, eh?'_ "Alright, I'll be right back." Ayame left the room to go to the counter, leaving behind a concerned Naruto watching over a sleeping Hinata. The boy cautiously approached the girl, his eyes never leaving her face.

' _Hinata looks cute when she's sleeping…'_ he thought, unaware of the blush on his face. He slowly brought his face closer to hers, stopping only when he was just inches above the girl. Suddenly, her eyes fluttered open, causing Naruto to jump back, knocking over a stack of bowls and causing him to fall on his back.

Hinata, who didn't notice Naruto at first, sat up and rubbed her eyes, followed by stretching her arms out while letting out a yawn. Upon seeing this, Naruto, recovering from his stumble, thought _'She even looks cute when she wakes up'_ while blushing. The Hyūga finally looked to her right and saw Naruto a few feet away on his back.

"N-Naruto-kun?" she said aloud, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink.

"That's right! Heh heh…" replied Naruto, grinning and scratching the back of his head.

"W-where are we?"

"Oh! We're in the back of Ramen Ichiraku! Since you were asleep, I figured we should have some privacy while you wake up."

' _P-p-p-privacy!?'_ thought Hinata as her face went red for the second time that day.

In that moment, Ayame returned from the counter with Gama-chan in hand. "Alright, Naruto, that's twenty bowls of ramen paid for—" She stopped talking when she realized Naruto's peer had awoken. "So you're finally up, huh?"

"Y-yes…"

"When you're feeling ready, you're free to go, okay?"

The timid girl nodded her head.

"And Naruto?" Ayame said, facing Naruto.

"Yeah?"

"Your first bowl is waiting for you."

Naruto jumped up with a massive grin. "Alright!" Right before running out of the room, Naruto stopped himself. He turned to Hinata and beamed at her. "Hey, Hinata! Wanna eat some ramen with me?"

Hinata's eyes widened at his offer. _'Naruto-kun… wants to eat… with me?'_ The girl bashfully nodded with a blush on her cheeks (a sight that Naruto was growing used to seeing, though his acclimation did nothing to diminish his concern for her wellbeing). Naruto led her to the front of Ramen Ichiraku and, seeing that there were no other customers, took the seat on the far left, with Hinata taking the one next to him. The blonde ended up giving Hinata his first bowl of ramen, since he felt obligated to pay for her food. He was the one who had offered, after all.

The next ten minutes were spent in silence, save for the occasional compliment to Teuchi on his recipe, and the one time he brought up what had happened today at school. That conversation didn't last very long, given that neither Naruto nor Hinata knew what incident caused them to all go home. They both figured it must have happened in another class.

Finally, after Naruto had finished his nineteen bowls of miso ramen, Ayame bid them farewell, and the two ninjas-in-training began to walk to the Hyūga house, one of them following the other with a blush on her face. No words were exchanged, though the same could not be said for the glances that they cautiously risked, hoping not to get caught looking at the other.

Naruto had to admit, Hinata was an attractive girl, maybe even more so than Sakura. He never really noticed it before, but ever since he looked at her today in the ramen storage room, with her eyes gently sealed behind their lids, her chest rising and falling as she let out quiet breaths, her hair pulled away from her face by gravity to reveal the most tranquil sight he had ever set his eyes upon, he knew that he felt something… else.

Thirty or so minutes later, they reached Hinata's home. She bowed to him and said her farewell.

"See you t-tomorrow, N-Naruto-kun."

"Right back atcha, Hinata-chan!" Naruto gave her a peace sign and ran off before Hinata could reply.

' _Wait…'_ thought Hinata. _'Hinata…chan?'_ The realization of Naruto's last words to her hit her harder than a semi-truck hitting an armadillo that was too slow to escape from its imminent status as roadkill. **[Author's note: Seriously, there's so much armadillo roadkill in my city that I'm starting to think people are intentionally aiming for the poor animals!]**

' _He called me Hinata-CHAN!'_ she screamed internally before her face went a bright shade of red.

Meanwhile, Hanabi was watching the whole ordeal from a hiding spot she had found years ago, raising one of her eyebrows. _'I'm never going to fall in love,'_ she declared to herself. _'Love makes you vulnerable.'_ She watched as her elder sister barely managed to stumble inside the house. _'But I'm happy for you too.'_

* * *

(o,o)

* * *

 **[That Hanabi foreshadowing though, am I right?**

 **I wonder if those NaruHina fans out there have attained some sense of temporary satisfaction…**

 **Here is the next part of Fate Manipulation, brought to you in part by ADHD and mistaken priorities. It is for this reason that I won't be updating again until, well, I don't know. If this semester ends well for me, expect another chapter by Christmas. Yes, it will be a Christmas themed chapter. If this school semester goes horribly wrong, expect a chapter no later no later than, say, May of next year. I'm not kidding. There's definitely reasons for this, but I don't intend to disclose them to y'all. *cough* …parents… *cough***

 _ **TL; DR**_ _ **:**_ **No chapters coming soon. Don't hold your breath.**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading up to now. I don't know if I should call this a hiatus or not. I'll be working on it, yeah, but because of… other… priorities, it's going to take a hell of a long time. You've been warned. See ya in 0.7-5 months.]**


End file.
